Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth contends that American troops are not in danger across the Middle East – even as the Pentagon announced on Sunday that a seventh U.S. service member had been killed in the war against Iran.
The latest casualty, Sgt. Benjamin Pennington, 26, died of wounds sustained in an Iranian attack on Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, according to the Department of Defense. His death came one day after President Donald Trump and other senior officials observed the solemn return of six flag-draped cases to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
With the conflict now in its second week, U.S. officials have said that Russia is covertly providing intelligence to Iran that could help the Islamic Republic target American personnel, warships and aircraft in the region.
Hegseth, in an interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes” on Sunday, dismissed the idea that U.S. forces are at risk amid the coordination between two of America’s adversaries. “No one is putting us in danger,” he said. “We’re putting their guys in danger.”
“We’re tracking everything. Our commanders are aware of everything,” Hegseth continued. “The only ones that need to be worried right now are Iranians who think they are going to live.”
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The alignment between Moscow and Tehran was underscored Monday when Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Iran’s newly appointed supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, on his elevation.
Khamenei is the son of Ali Khamenei, who served as supreme leader from 1989 until he was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the first day of the current conflict.
“I want to confirm our unwavering support for Tehran and solidarity with our Iranian friends,” Putin said in a statement. “I am confident that you will continue your father’s work with honor.”
Tehran’s choice signals a message of defiance aimed at Washington. At 56, Khamenei takes the helm of a regime steeped in the hard-line theocratic rule his father exercised for decades. Trump, who has previously called Khamenei an “unacceptable” option to lead Iran, said on Sunday that he is “not happy” with the appointment.
Hegseth, when asked about the status of the war, told “60 Minutes” the U.S. is “very much on track, on plan.” But he declined to rule out further escalation, including the possibility of deploying U.S. ground forces into Iran.
The defense secretary said both he and Trump are cognizant that “you don’t tell the enemy, you don’t tell the press, you don’t tell anybody what your limits would be on an operation.”
He added that the U.S. is “willing to go as far as we need to in order to be successful.”
Tanya Noury is a reporter for Military Times and Defense News, with coverage focusing on the White House and Pentagon.